The NFC technology uses components comprising a communication interface operating by inductive coupling
and having at least two operating modes, in particular a Reader Mode and a Card Emulation Mode. In the reader mode, or active mode, a NFC component operates like a conventional RFID reader (Radio Frequency Identification) to read or write access a contactless integrated circuit mounted in a chip card or an electronic tag. The NFC component emits a magnetic field, sends data by modulating the magnetic field and receives data by retromodulation (charge modulation). In the emulation mode the NFC component operates as a transponder to dialog with a RFID reader or another NFC component in the active mode, and to be seen by the reader or the other NFC component like a RFID contactless integrated circuit. Thus, the NFC component in the card emulation mode does not emit any magnetic field, receives data by demodulating a magnetic field emitted by the other reader and sends data by retromodulation. In addition to these operating modes, a NFC component may implement several contactless communication protocols, for example ISO 14443-A, ISO 14443-B and Felica.
FIG. 1 shows a chipset made around a NFC component designated by reference “NFCM” and integrated into a mobile phone 15. The NFC component is connected to host processors HP1, HP2. The processor HP1 is for example a secured integrated circuit of SIM type (“Subscriber Identity Module”) adapted to contactless applications, and the processor HP2 is for example a non-secured processor like the baseband circuit of the mobile phone. The resources of the NFC component and particularly the communication interface thereof are used by the processors HP1, HP2 to manage contactless applications. Example applications of T1, T2 or T3 type are shown in FIG. 2. In T1 type applications, the NFC component of the phone 15 is in the emulation mode to be read by a conventional reader RD or by another component NFCM′ in the active mode (FIG. 1). They usually are applications of payment or paying access control (payment machines, metro entrances, etc.). The mobile phone 15 is then used like a chip card. In T2 type applications, the NFC component is in the reader mode to read or write a contactless integrated circuit CIC, for example an electronic business card or an advertising electronic tag, or to read or write a component NFCM′ being in the card emulation mode. The mobile phone is in this case used like a card reader. In T3 type applications, the NFC component of the phone 15 dialogs with a component NFCM′ built-in a mobile phone 15′, in a computer or any other device. The operating mode of the NFC component may be passive or active.
T2 and T3 applications are usually managed by the non-secured processor HP2 whereas T1 type applications are most often managed by the secured processor HP1, as shown in FIG. 1, because the access to service requires a secured identification of subscribers including a phase of authentication comprising an encryption circuit. Free and non-secured T1 type applications may however be managed by the processor HP2, for example reading data of the details-type (i.e. addresses and phone numbers) in the phone, etc. Conversely, T2 type applications could be managed by the secured processor HP1 if reading data out of an external contactless integrated circuit is submitted to subscription or prepayment conditions.
Thus, the NFC technology allows a mobile phone (or another portable device) to communicate using the contactless technology, and allows it to behave like a contactless reader (NFC component in the active mode) to read cards, electronic tags or data in another mobile phone, or to behave like a contactless card (emulation mode) to be read by card readers or by another mobile phone.
The market most motivating the integration of the NFC technology into mobile phones is the payment market. Thus, some banks start spreading out contactless credit cards to make some purchases with the aim of replacing conventional contact cards. Transport operators are also interested in the replacement of contactless cards by mobile phones including a NFC function, in order to reduce the system costs by reducing the purchase of cards and the possibility to add new services thanks to the ability to connect to a system via the mobile phone. In addition, this contactless connectivity function of the phone may be interesting for numerous applications in order to offer services but also for security reasons so as to be able to make online payment transactions and to be able to load software into the phone.
The fact that the mobile phone may behave like a reader makes it possible to consider other types of applications linked to electronic identification. It is thus possible to “stick” a contactless electronic tag to an object and use the phone to read or write data in the contactless integrated circuit of the tag. These applications do not usually require security as they are not linked to payment. These applications are for example reading/writing of an electronic tag fastened to a book in the library to store comments, to store and read the prescription to take a medicine, to store and read data on an electronic business card, to read data in a contactless integrated circuit fixed to an advertising poster, to access information or buying services, etc.
However, spreading out NFC applications comes up against numerous constraints. In particular, the integration of NFC components in mobile phones requires substantially modifying the motherboards of mobile phones, which implies important industrial investments. In addition, an industrial consensus must be found about the communication interface between the secured host processor HP1 and the NFC component and the way to store and manage the secured application. To that end, various protocols have been suggested like the S2C protocol and the SWP protocol (ISO/IEC JTC 1 N8018 standard project). In addition, the integration of a secured contactless integrated circuit into a NFC chipset requires the provision of an integrated circuit different from those already existing in the field of contactless payment. Thus, the production of contactless integrated circuits must be split between integrated circuits intended to be connected to a NFC component (via a SWP interface for example) and integrated circuits intended to receive an antenna coil to operate autonomously, which increases the production costs. However, multiplying the models of secured integrated circuits causes a complication of the bank qualification process. Indeed, any change brought to a secured integrated circuit implies that the contactless integrated circuit goes through the qualification process again.
Eventually, because of its cost, the NFC technology will be integrated into various models of mobile phones when the market demand is sufficient. However, to create such a demand, NFC applications must be developed. But such applications will be developed only if the NFC functionality is integrated in most commercialized mobile phones. It is thus a vicious circle: the NFC applications do not develop because there are few NFC phones and there are few NFC phones because there are few NFC applications. The market of NFC components is thus brought to a slow development, whereas the technology has reached maturity. Thus, it is estimated that mobile phones equipped with NFC functionalities will not represent more than 2% of all the mobile phones on the market in 2010.
Some embodiments of the present invention are based on the postulate that a NFC component may not be considered as a chipset core to which various host processors are connected, as it is the case in the standard architecture shown in FIG. 1, in which the efforts of the industry have concentrated, but as a simple intermediate means for data transfer from one point to another.
Some embodiments of the invention are also based on the simple but no less inventive idea to make a functional module by gathering on a same support a NFC reader and a passive contactless integrated circuit. Each of the contactless integrated circuit and the NFC reader are equipped with an antenna coil and both antenna coils are coupled. A communication may therefore be established between these components but each component may also be used independently of one another.
In prior art, a NFC reader is admittedly intended to communicate with a contactless integrated circuit but these two components are not designed to be gathered on a same support. Usually, the contactless integrated circuit is arranged on a first support of which it performs the identification or authentication whereas the NFC reader is integrated in a different device to ensure the reading of the contactless integrated circuit. The NFC reader and the contactless integrated circuit are occasionally put in presence, during a transaction or identification, but are not permanently gathered on a same support. Gathering these two components on a same support gives rise to a functional object having advantageous features. Thus, the passive contactless integrated circuit may be used independently of the NFC reader, for payment applications for example. A contactless integrated circuit already certified is therefore able to be incorporated in the functional module without requiring a new certification since the integration thereof in the functional module does not require the communication interface thereof being modified. The contactless integrated circuit may also be read by the NFC reader and the data that are read therein may be transferred into a master device like a mobile phone or a similar device. In addition, the NFC reader may read by itself contactless integrated circuits other than that integrated in the functional module, or be read by an external reader (if it has the card emulation mode).
Some embodiments of the invention are also based on the idea of integrating in such a functional module a link circuit of a very widespread type and generally included in most current phones, like a Bluetooth® interface circuit. A functional module is then made, that may communicate with a mobile phone not having the NFC functionality. Once the functional module is associated to the phone as Bluetooth® peripheral, the phone benefits from the NFC functionality of the module via the Bluetooth® link. The implementation of NFC applications may therefore be envisaged without requiring the revision of the motherboard of the phone and only requires loading application software into the phone. The functional module thus allows NFC applications to be offered to users of conventional phones. It may be simply fixed on the external shell of the phone or conserved by the side thereof.
Some embodiments of the invention are also based on the idea of integrating such a functional module into a mobile phone which case is then used as support of the NFC reader and the passive contactless integrated circuit, while keeping the coupling of the antenna coil of the reader and the integrated circuit as communication means between the NFC reader and the contactless integrated circuit. The latter may be mounted into the phone in a removable way, for example by means of an introduction slot. The NFC reader may also be mounted into the phone in a removable way, for example by means of another slot, or be integrated into the motherboard of the phone.
Some embodiments of the invention are also based on the idea of providing an additional antenna coil in the functional module. The additional antenna coil is coupled to the antenna coil of the contactless integrated circuit. The additional antenna coil makes it possible to increase the communication distance of the contactless integrated circuit with an external device, or to couple the antenna coil of the NFC reader with the antenna coil of the contactless integrated circuit, or to increase the coupling rate between the antenna coil of the NFC reader and that of the contactless integrated circuit.